Poppa & Grandma Cindy pay a visit

Stella's Poppa and Grandma Cindy came over from the States for a short holiday this past week. Stella has grown up a bit since they last saw her. We did some fun things with them including visiting the Zoo, the park, drinking fluffies and catching up with family. Stella took to them both very quickly this visit. She enjoyed being centre of attention and the new clothes and pressies that they brought with them. Each new thing that came out of the bag was taken to Poppa with an exclamation of "look at that Poppa!" We're looking forward to seeing them back in NZ at Christmas time.

Party Time

Stella went to Jack's 3rd birthday party the weekend before last. His Mum Polly had done a great job with the Wizard of Oz theme that he wanted, Stella's not into dressing up so much but I managed to put her hair into 4 pony tails which she miraculously didn't pull out. There was a bouncy castle in the backyard which was great fun. At one point Jack's Dad snuck away and came back dressed as a lion... a mixed response from the kids including a few tears, there is a pic here of Stella looking a little worried, she was ok as long as she didn't have to go to close and Mark stayed nearby! Georgia who is 4 was the only one who was happy to hug the lion (she figured out who was inside the suit) so all the way home Stella talked about how the friendly lion gave 'George' a hug.

First Day at School

Well, not really but I did take Stella to Rosmini College for a Plunket Tots to Toddlers session this morning. This is a programme run in some high schools to expose teenagers to little kids and talk about their development, care, learning etc. There were 6 kids aged from 6 months to 2. There was lots to look at and play with so Stella had a great time and as I wheeled her back to the car she kept saying "bye bye boys" and "that was a nice visit."

The next shot is of Stella and Mark at North Head on Sunday morning, such amazing views of the harbour and city, Stella enjoyed roaming around exploring and doing some rock climbing with Mark.

The final shot shows Stella with a floury face after doing some 'baking' at Nana's. She loves helping in the kitchen and baking muffins can while away a fair bit of time. She enjoys licking the spoon from the mixing bowl, often giving her low easter egg laugh and exclaiming "its nice!" Here she is playing with her play doh, another favourite activity, one that captures her attention for almost as long as baking does.